1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of dolls, and more particularly, to animated dolls.
2. Prior Art
Dolls of various kinds, shapes, sizes, materials and construction are well known in the prior art. Also known are dolls having some form of animation. Typically animation is provided by a power source such as battery power with internal sound generation and motor driven internal linkages coupled to move one or more body parts, such as eyes and mouth, as in the Teddy Ruxpin Talking Teddy Bear popular a number of years ago. Alternatively, the animation mechanism and power source may be provided under a platform on which the doll stands to provide some form of animation in the doll. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,121 discloses a toy comprising a flexible doll with magnets in the doll's feet to hold the doll upright on a platform. In one embodiment, one foot is magnetically held stationary with the position of the other foot being manipulated to simulate dance by the motion of a magnet under the platform on which the doll is standing. Magnets may also be placed in the hands of the doll to similarly be attracted to a fixed metal bar. Thus the source of the animation is entirely external to the doll. The doll, however, is removable from the platform for other play by physically overcoming the magnetic attraction of the doll's feet to the platform on which it may be standing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,756 discloses a motion toy which provides motion in a mechanism above a platform through a drive system beneath the platform. No application of the mechanism to dolls is mentioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,263 discloses mechanical toy figures which are mechanically animated as powered by springs within the mechanical toy figures after the mechanical toy figures are set to an initial starting condition. Various body part motions are coordinated by mechanisms within the figures.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,508 discloses a motion toy which includes animation mechanisms within the doll-like toy that are, in effect, mechanically powered from a source of power in the platform on which the motion toy stands. That motion comprises a sidewise tilting of one leg of the toy, causing the second leg to similarly tilt, moving the hips of the toy in a first sidewise direction, causing the mechanism to somewhat rotate the body in the opposite direction and to tilt the head in the same direction as the legs. The toy is permanently mounted on the platform on which it stands.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,191 discloses a structure of motion toy having a somewhat similar motion as the '508 patent. In this motion toy the hips move sidewise while the body tilts somewhat in an opposite direction, no head being shown on the toy illustrated. The toy is powered by a motor within the toy, though no source of power for the motor is disclosed. The toy is self contained, apparently intended to stand upright on any flat surface.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,764 a dancing doll with hip movement and 180° rotation is disclosed. The doll stands on a rotatable platform driven in rotation, with a cam raising and lowering one leg, causing the hips to move side to side.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,206, a base and rotatably mounted doll with relatively moveable parts is disclosed. The doll stands on a platform with a manually operated drive mechanism in the platform for rotating a rod up through the leg of the doll. The leg may be fixed or allowed to rotate, in the first case, mechanism within the doll being powered by the rod in the leg cause animation of the doll, whereas in the second case, the doll simply rotates about that leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,890 discloses a nested turntable arrangement for electronically animated characters. The nested turntable arrangement has a base turntable rotatable about a base axis and pedestal turntables supported on the base turntable for independent rotation about separate pedestal axes. It is stated that animated characters are mounted on the pedestal turntables that have an arm body part segment whose hand ends can be extended and brought into juxtapose position approximate the base axis under rotation of the pedestal turntables. No animation of the individual characters is shown other than the rotation of the character by rotation of the respective pedestal. Proportional feedback of the base turntable rotation and the pedestal turntables rotation is disclosed.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,392 physically interactive electronic toys are disclosed. Each electronic toy has at least one moving part and comprises a preprogrammed integrated circuit in at least one electric motor adapted to perform actions. Multiple such toys may be interconnected in different combinations and programmed to interact in groups of two or more. Each electronic toy is in the form of a character mounted on a rotating table which may be plugged into a similar toy for coordinated action of the electronic toy. The rotating table is shown to support a human-like character with the figure containing multiple electric motors adapted to move specific moving parts of the figures in specific ranges of motion. Only one such motor is shown for simple head rotation and no details are provided as to how power is supplied to those motors, though they are controlled from the base of the toy. No details are provided with respect to the animation mechanism in the character or the mounting of the character on the rotating table.